October, 2020

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Kara Nortman Was Just Promoted to Co-Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures. Here’s What it All Means

Both Sides of the Table

Today we’re announcing that my partner Kara Nortman is becoming Co-Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to welcome her to her new role. As with all promotions, the reality is that Kara was already acting as a senior leader at our firm and also in the industry at large. She had all of the skills and traits we sought?

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A security flaw in Grindr let anyone easily hijack user accounts

TechCrunch LA

Grindr, one of the world’s largest dating and social networking apps for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, has fixed a security vulnerability that allowed anyone to hijack and take control of any user’s account using only their email address. Wassime Bouimadaghene , a French security researcher, found the vulnerability and reported the issue to Grindr.

Research 361
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Local Tech Companies Work to Get Out the Vote

L.A. Business Journal

Social platforms and media content creators in Los Angeles are leveraging their influence to encourage voting by Gen Z and millennial audiences as registration deadlines approach.

Company 264
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What is your biggest error in company planning?

Berkonomics

The biggest error in planning may not be spreadsheet calculation error. Or cost estimation. It is most often missed assumptions about the market, the competition, the speed of adoption, or other critical metrics you’ve researched, or selected, or even just guessed at to create your plan. Sources for your data. Where did you get the data to drive your assumptions of market size or market share?

Company 156
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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

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Amazon, Rivian Reveal First Electric Delivery Vehicle

socalTECH

Amazon and Rivian , the electric vehicle developer with operations in Irvine and Carson, California, have revealed Amazon's first electric delivery vehicle, which Amazon plans to roll out as part of its climate efforts. According to Amazon, it plans to roll out its electric delivery vehicles as early as 2022, with 100,000 on the road by 2030. Amazon said it is looking to be net zero carbon by 2040.

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How The Reality That Entrepreneurs Face Is Not Fair

Startup Professionals Musings

Most of the time, I’m all about providing encouragement and inspiration to entrepreneurs. They need it and they deserve it, because entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy. But every so often, I try to give them a reality check, just to keep their feet on the ground and their nose to the grindstone. A few years ago, I enjoyed one of Guy Kawasaki’s first books, “ Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.

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GrubMarket raises $60M as food delivery stays center stage

TechCrunch LA

Companies that have leveraged technology to make the procurement and delivery of food more accessible to more people have been seeing a big surge of business this year, as millions of consumers are encouraged (or outright mandated, due to Covid-19) to socially distance or want to avoid the crowds of physical shopping and eating excursions. Today, one of the companies that is supplying produce and other items both to consumers and other services that are in turn selling food and groceries to them

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Relativity Space Signs Rocket Contract With Lockheed

L.A. Business Journal

Rocket builder Relativity Space Inc., a Long Beach-based startup, signed a contract to build a 3D-printed rocket for aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. as part of an upcoming experimental NASA mission.

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Virtual Tech Happy Hour

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, October 15, 2020 -- Virtual Tech Happy Hour. Startup Coil. The State of the L.A. Tech Ecosystem Updates on startup fundings and major news; Expert Discussion and QandA Hiring and Getting Hired During a Global Pandemic.

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Draper Goren Holm Raises $25M Blockchain Fund

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Draper Goren Holm , a new venture capital fund founded by Tim Draper, Alon Goren, and Josef Holm, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $25M in its very first fund. According to the firm, its Fund 1 will make seed and Series A investments in the fintech and blockchain startup world. The fund was announced at the LA Blockchain Summit, which is virtual this year.

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5 Keys To Pushing Past The Mental Terror Of A Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the biggest impediments to starting a new venture is the “ terror barrier ,” as popularized by Bob Proctor, a 85-year-old millionaire and world renowned entrepreneur. This is the imaginary barrier that always seems to appear at the critical point where we would step out ahead of peers or competitors, but fear causes us to stop short. Everyone has a comfort zone, or level of risk, where they feel in control.

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Bio Roundup: MESO’s Miss, Pfizer’s Cancer Bet, Vaccine Promise & More

Xconomy

Amid the bombast of Tuesday’s presidential debate, viewers caught some discussion about the response to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. In the crosstalk, the president made an unsupported claim that we are weeks away from having vaccines. It’s true that some pharmaceutical companies are already manufacturing their COVID-19 vaccine candidates for broader use.

Product 103
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Google Maps gets improved Live View AR directions

TechCrunch LA

Google today announced a few updates to Live View, the augmented reality walking directions in its Google Maps app that officially launched last year. Live View uses your phone’s camera and GPS to tell you exactly where to go, making it a nice addition to the standard map-centric directions in similar applications. The new features Google is introducing today include the ability to invoke Live View from the transit tab in Google Maps when you’re on a journey that includes multiple mo

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Water Tech Companies Are Springing Up in LA

L.A. Business Journal

In many areas of the world, there may be no more precious commodity than water — and that’s especially true in Los Angeles.

Company 299
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Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies Showcase 2020.

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, October 15, 2020 -- Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies Showcase 2020. Now in its third year, the Most Fundable Companies competition has grown to over 4,500 companies, and for the first time attracted startups from all 50 U.S. states. We are excited to introduce you to an incredible set of companies who have risen to the top this year based on the viability of their business model, size of addressable market, management team expertise, board of advisors, and competitive advantage in th

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Belkin Rolls Out 60W GaN Wall Charger

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Belkin is rolling out a new, 60W wall charger based on new gallium nitride (GaN) technology, which promises to make wall chargers much smaller than they are now. According to Belkin, its BOOST CHARGE PRO USB-C PD GaN Wall Charger charges such USB-C PD enabled devices as the Google Pixel 5, iPad Pro or Macbook Pro. The company says the new gallium nitride technology makes its chargers 53 percent smaller than standard laptop chargers; the company says it is one of the first major

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5 Key Recovery Strategies Counter Economic Downturns

Startup Professionals Musings

Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Driven by the current pandemic, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. I see it most in the newest generation of entrepreneurs (Gen-Y), who were shocked out of entitlement into action by an economic downturn. Donna Fenn, in her book from the last decade, “ Upstarts!

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Top virtual tech events to end 2020 on a high note

StartUp Beat

Tech enthusiasts from around the globe can make the last three months of the year count by tuning in to a great variety of inspiring events that take place on online platforms. The post Top virtual tech events to end 2020 on a high note appeared first on StartUp Beat.

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LA-based MarketerHire upgrades its service matching remote marketers with companies

TechCrunch LA

MarketerHire , a Los Angeles-based startup backed by a slew of executives from some of the city’s hottest startups, launched its new service matching freelance marketing experts with open jobs listed on its platform. . “Today’s startup economy depends on the expertise of industry specialists as much or more than full-time generalists,” said Nick Green, co-founder and CEO Thrive Market, MarketerHire customer and investor, in a statement.

Marketing 265
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Gulfstream to Relocate Employees to Van Nuys Airport

L.A. Business Journal

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. will move jobs to Van Nuys Airport from Long Beach as part of a streamlining and modernizing of its customer service.

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What’s the Most Important Thing in a Young Business?

Berkonomics

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Slingshot Aerospace Finds $8M More

socalTECH

El Segundo, California- and Austin, Texas-based Slingshot Aerospace , a developer of situational awareness technology that brings together imagery and data from satellites, drones, airplanes, and other sensors, has raised $8M in its Series A funding, the company said this morning. Slingshot Aerospace said the funding was led by ATX Venture Partners, and also included Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Techstars Ventures, and Okapi Venture Capital, along with angel investors Keith Masback (

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5 Indications That A New Venture May Not Be For You

Startup Professionals Musings

People with a victim mentality should never be entrepreneurs. We all know the role of starting and running a business is unpredictable, and has a high risk of failure. For people with a victim mentality, this fear of failure alone will almost certainly make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure you all know someone who is the perennial victim. The problem is that most of these people aren’t likely to accept your assessment, so it’s hard to help them.

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Despite Phase 2 Failure, Gossamer Bio Sees a Path for Drug in Asthma

Xconomy

Gossamer Bio’s lead drug, an experimental treatment for asthma and allergies, has failed in two mid-stage clinical trials but the biotech sees enough in the data to pursue further development in a severe form of asthma and it wants to talk with regulators about advancing the compound to a larger Phase 3 study. The Gossamer drug, GB001, was tested as a treatment for eosinophilic asthma, a form of the respiratory disorder characterized by high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils.

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Spying a pivot to ghost kitchens, Softbank’s second Vision Fund pours $120 million into Ordermark

TechCrunch LA

“We’re building a decentralized ghost kitchen,” is a sentence that could launch a thousand investor calls, and Alex Canter, the chief executive officer behind Ordermark , knows it. The 29 year-old CEO has, indeed, built a decentralized ghost kitchen — and managed to convince Softbank’s latest Vision Fund to invest in a $120 million round for that the company announced today. “We have uncovered an opportunity to help drive more orders into restaurants through t

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SpaceX Launches 60 More Satellites

L.A. Business Journal

Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. sent 60 more Starlink satellites into orbit using the company’s Falcon 9 rocket during an Oct. 18 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Wired vs Wireless Backhaul- Which should your organization choose?

Southern California Edison Blog

Which should your organization choose? When determining the best underlying infrastructure to deliver reliable and effective network communications, enterprises, telecom carriers, academic institutions, and government agencies have two main options: wired vs. wireless backhaul. While each option has its unique advantages and disadvantages, backhaul that works for one business may not be the best fit for another.

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Beachbody Launches Running Program

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based fitness and nutrition content provider Beachbody announced it has launched a new, running program for its customers, with the goal of getting its customers to be able to complete a 5K on day 30. The new program, "30 Day Breakaway" is being made available through Beachbody's "On Demand" platform. Pricing ont he new program was not announced.

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How To Find Support Resources For Your Startup Stage

Startup Professionals Musings

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. That’s like trying to sell part of something to a stranger for big money when you haven’t fully defined it yet. It won’t work, it costs time and money, and hurts your credibility when you need them later. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy).

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In RNAi Move, Takeda Fronts $300M to Team Up on Arrowhead Liver Drug

Xconomy

Arrowhead Pharmaceutical’s gene silencing treatment for a rare liver disease will move through the regulatory process and potential commercialization with the muscle of Takeda Pharmaceutical behind it. Takeda (NYSE: TAK ) has agreed to pay $300 million up front in a partnership on Arrowhead (NASDAQ: ARWR ) drug ARO-AAT as a treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin-associated liver disease.

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Postmates is launching a new retail delivery feature as brick and mortar stores face 14% drop in sales

TechCrunch LA

Postmates is now rolling out what could be the biggest update to the company’s service in a long time — adding a retail option for users to shop local stores and for local merchants to set up a virtual on-demand storefront in the app. Starting in Los Angeles — and building on yesterday’s test run pop-up shop with the Los Angeles Rams — Postmates users will be able to shop local merchants listed in the company’s new retail tab in the Postmates app called, appro

Sales 249
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J2Global to Acquire RetailMeNot for $420 Million

L.A. Business Journal

Downtown-based J2 Global Inc., an internet information and services company, has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire RetailMeNot Inc. for about $420 million.

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CONNECT Legal Office Hours

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 --.

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OnSite Waste Technologies Finds $3.5M

socalTECH

Newport Beach-based OnSite Waste Technologies has raised $3.5M in a Series A funding round, according to the company. The funding round was led by Mark IV Capital, which also is based in Newport Beach. The startup says it is developing technology for immediate sterilization of medical waste. The firm reported the funding was oversubscribed. Onsite Waste Technologies is led by CEO Brad Barnes; the company is aiming its onsite sterilization technology at long-term care facilities, family practices

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How Bill Gates Was A Role Model For New Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

Sometimes I like to drop the comment socially that “I knew Bill Gates back when he was a regular guy.” I know that dates me a good bit, but it also shows that I have been hanging around startups for a long time. The honest truth is that I worked directly with him in the early days of Microsoft from my “safe” perch in big IBM, during the startup of the IBM PC.

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Bio Roundup: MESO’s Miss, Pfizer’s Cancer Bet, Vaccine Promise & More

Xconomy

Amid the bombast of Tuesday’s presidential debate, viewers caught some discussion about the response to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. In the crosstalk, the president made an unsupported claim that we are weeks away from having vaccines. It’s true that some pharmaceutical companies are already manufacturing their COVID-19 vaccine candidates for broader use.

Product 71